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Tottenham Hotspur came into the 2025/26 season in need of a deep lying playmaker, and although young Archie Gray has broken out to become a key player and part of the rotation for Spurs, Thomas Frank still does not seem to be fully sold on him.

Plus, the U21 midfielder is still a prospect who needs some seasoning, and Gray alone as the only progressive passer in the midfield unit is wholly insufficient. Spurs have a few good midfielders, including the injured Lucas Bergvall, in their ranks, but they are clearly missing this piece in order to help take their team to another level - a level well beyond the current background threat of relegation.

Tottenham, though, do not appear to be going after the right targets. Following a multi month injury to Rodrigo Bentancur, who tore his hamstring, Spurs spent a whopping 40 million euros on Conor Gallagher, whom neither Chelsea nor Atletico Madrid wanted anything to do with. Gallagher has had a rough start to life at the N17, and his box to box profile clearly does not fit the need for creativity that Tottenham currently have.

Tottenham can't get caught up in 'free'

Now, Tottenham Hotspur are being linked with an even worse option in the box to box mold in Leon Goretzka, whom Spurs have made transfer approaches for. The move for the unwanted Bayern Munich man won't happen in January, though.

That's because according to Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund, via Fabrizio Romano, the Bundesliga giants will offiically let Goretzka leave in free agency at the end of the season, “Leon's time at FC Bayern will be over in the summer. He will go another way after 8 successful years. We'll fight together in coming months to achieve big things."

Bayern had actually been trying to force Goretzka out of the club due to years of poor performances. He has not been effective since winning the treble under Hansi Flick and has been a liability holding back the midfield. But he had been impossible to move due to his wages, so the only choice Bayern had was to phase him out of the lineup for an academy prospect and then remove him once his contract ran out.

Tottenham at least were not foolish enough to pay a transfer fee for an extra six months of legitimately one of the worst midfielders in the Bundesliga. Goretzka is officially available as a Spurs transfer target this summer, but if the club is interested in his massive wages and declining qualities, they are headed for another disastrous signing.

Tottenham Hotspur came into the January transfer window with a huge need for more quality at the forward positions, and although the recent breakouts of Wilson Odobert and now healthy striker Dominic Solanke have somewhat changed the equation, the reality is that Spurs results in the Premier League indicate that their attacking quality is still nowhere up to snuff.

To wit, Spurs needed their center backs, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, to rescue them from a sure fire defeat to lowly Burnley this past Premier League weekend. If it were not for these two defenders scoring goals at a rate higher than even the strikers this season, Spurs would be truly toiling in the relegation battle.

As it stands, Tottenham have only two healthy wingers in Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert, and the former almost never plays despite being a standout. And he is expected by many transfer analysts to push himself out on loan this winter, even though the club are resisting a transfer.

Tottenham are getting worse

Meanwhile, Tottenham have only two healthy strikers between Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani, and the latter has also been raising discontent about a loan. Another goal against a former employer in the Champions League, Eintracht Frankfurt, may have saved his fate, but, by and large, Kolo Muani has been a transfer flop who literally cannot score to save his life in the Premier League.

So Tottenham are thinner at forward than before the transfer window started, and it could get even worse if players depart. Coming into the season, Atalanta left winger and center forward Ademola Lookman was a prime transfer target and alternative to Savinho, who remains unavailable to Spurs.

But instead of going after one of the most accomplished all around forwards in Serie A to help fill depth at two big positions of need, Tottenham Hotspur are about to watch the Nigerian international waltz away to a lesser club.

According to a new report from transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Turkish Super Lig giants Fenerbahce are "closing in" on a transfer for Ademola Lookman. Fenerbahce are set to sign the player for a mere 40 million euros plus add ons, as negotiations have entered "final stages" following a recent meeting between the clubs. They just need to iron out "bank guarantees" and "payment terms" before the deal officially gets over the line.

Based on what Romano is saying, Lookman to Fenerbahce is almost in the bag, and at 40 million euros, the accomplished forward is about as expensive as mediocre center midfielder Conor Gallagher. Forwards are generally more expensive than box to box midfielders, especially goal scoring left wingers. Tottenham are running out of options.

Tottenham Hotspur signed Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid earlier this winter transfer window for 40 million euros in the aftermath of Rodrigo Bentancur's injury, but with an even better midfield player in Lucas Bergvall now also out for what will likely be several months of action, Spurs are still very much interested in another player at the position.

Even in the period between the signing of Gallaghar and Bergvall's latest significant injury, Tottenham were still in need of another star midfielder, specifically someone who could actually be what Bentancur was supposed to be in the Thomas Frank scheme.

Everyone knows that Tottenham are badly missing a deep lying midfielder who can create chances and make plays for the team to actually progress the ball forward, which is obviously not something that is a strength of Gallagher's or established midfielders in the team like Joao Palhinha.

Tottenham are in a bind at the 6

The dream options in that deeper role are all unachievable during the 2025/26 season and maybe won't even consider Tottenham Hotspur at all when they could potentially be available in the summer. The Adam Whartons of the world are expensive and have clubs interested in them that regularly beat Spurs to the punch on the transfer market.

So the name Ruben Neves has been an interesting one for Tottenham supporters to track on the transfer market, as the former Premier League star for Wolverhampton Wanderers is on an expiring contract with Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal. And with Premier League powers like Manchester United linked, Spurs fans were wondering about Neves as a playmaking option in the No. 6 role.

However, Fabrizio Romano is now reporting that negotiations are now at the "final stages" between Al-Hilal and Ruben Neves for a new contract that would take the midfielder off the table as a possible free agent pick up and therefore off the transfer board entirely for Tottenham. Per Fab, an "agreement" is "advancing" between Al-Hilal and the veteran defensive midfielder on a long term, three year deal.

It will be back to the drawing board, then, for Tottenham, though they never truly seemed to be significantly interested in Neves. At this point, everyone says Spurs are after another midfielder, but then the only player even remotely linked to Spurs is Leon Goretzka over at Bayern Munich, and he is both overpaid and has been quite terrible over the last few seasons - not to mention he cannot playmake to save his life.

Tottenham Hotspur raised a few eyebrows around world football when they agreed to pay a whopping 40 million euros to Atletico Madrid for Conor Gallagher, who had been riding the bench as one of the Rojiblancos worst players - someone the La Liga giants were pretty much desperate to get rid of. Spurs paid Atleti substantially more money than Aston Villa would have for the former Crystal Palace and Chelsea man, as Johan Lange slammed the panic buy button after an injury to backup Rodrigo Bentancur.

Gallagher has proceeded to do absolutely nothing in the early going for Tottenham, and while it is still too soon to call him a transfer flop, the England international looks exactly like the player Chelsea and Atletico got rid of for a reason.

Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur still need more midfield help. Lucas Bergvall has joined Bentancur with a serious injury and is a more important player to Spurs than the Uruguayan international. Plus, Spurs have a gaping hole for a controlling midfielder who can make plays from deep, as neither Gallagher nor Bentancur even are that profile of player.

Tottenham are being linked with him again

Well, neither is the next midfielder Spurs are being linked to on the transfer market. Atletico Madrid are eyeing Bayern Munich veteran Leon Goretzka as a possible signing to replace Conor Gallagher, and now transfer journalist Matteo Moretto is reporting that Tottenham have asked the Bavarian giants about the former Schalke star this winter.

Tottenham have been linked to Goretzka before, and while those transfer rumors were rubbished, Moretto bringing them back adds credence that the links are real. And if Spurs were willing to pay up for Gallagher, then going after another inflated and overpaid "name" box to box midfielder like Goretzka then makes sense as the exact kind of transfer misstep Spurs could very well make.

Goretzka was briefly a great player between the 2017/18 and 2019/20 seasons, but he has been terrible since then. He is on massive wages, and Bayern have been trying so hard to get rid of him but he has literally refused to leave because of the money he makes.

Tottenham signing Gallagher was bad enough, but Goretzka would be even worse. Goretzka is even worse technically and offensively, his production over the past five years has been one of the worst midfielders in the Bundesliga despite playing on a dominant team, and his wages are insane - even higher than Gallagher's. Goretzka is the definition of a player to avoid at all costs, even as a free agent in June.

Tottenham Hotspur made two major veteran acquisitions on loan in the summer transfer window last year. After securing Mathys Tel from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich on a permanent deal, Spurs then bagged former Fulham star Joao Palhinha on loan from the Bavarians after he spent the 2024/25 season toiling on the bench. They then landed experienced former Eintracht Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani on transfer deadline day from PSG after Juventus failed to successfully negotiate another loan deal with the Ligue 1 powerhouse and defending Champions League winners.

So far, the returns on Palhinha and Kolo Muani have been more mixed than effusively positive. Palhinha started the season brilliantly as one of the best value signings of the summer transfer window, and it was seen as a foregone conclusion that Spurs would then try to buy him permanently from Bayern at the end of the campaign.

But Palhinha's play started to fall off, with Tottenham lacking badly in terms of creativity and offensive output in midfield, with the Portuguese international's strengths now no longer shrouding his weaknesses.

Randal Kolo Muani is battling back

Meanwhile, Kolo Muani started the season with injury woes, looked like the club's best striker whlie decimating PSG, and then faded back into obscurity with rumors of him wanting to terminate his loan - and rumors of Juventus wanting to push hard to bring him back this winter.

So going into Tuesday night's Champions League battle against his former club Eintracht Frankfurt, Randal Kolo Muani was under a lot of pressure. Spurs do not want to terminate his loan with how thin they are striker, but he legitimately looked mentally checked out - a player who could not give a rat's rear end about the current club he is at, which is an untenable situation.

But Kolo Muani scored against Eintracht. Whlie he was not as spellbindingly brilliant as he was against PSG,this was still another thoroughly positive performance from RKM against a former club of his on a Champions League night.

Palhinha was even better. The unsung hero of the team while Cristian Romero, Wilson Odobert, and Xavi Simons soaked up much of the plaudits, the defensive midfielder won a whopping seven tackles in a defensive monsterclass alongside Pape Matar Sarr as Tottenham Hotspur completely shut up shop in the middle of the park to secure a clean sheet win over the overpowered Eagles.

Randal Kolo Muani is not out of the woods yet, but with a strong overall creative performance and a crucial goal to the good, he staved off being ran out of Tottenham with a pitchfork, complicated Spurs forward outlook in 2026. Meanwhile, Palhinha seems to be working himself back to being more in than out, giving Spurs real food for thought to chew on transfer wise as they continue to mull their midfield options.

Once again, Tottenham Hotspur delivered in the Champions League after leaving their fans with more questions than answers in the Premier League. Following up their 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund last week, Spurs avenged their draw with Burnley over the weekend by beating up on another Bundesliga power with a 2-0 victory over a struggling Eintracht Frankfurt.

Cristian Romero and Xavi Simons were unsurprisingly the main stars of the night for Tottenham, but once again, Wilson Odobert managed to pique everyone's interest over on the right wing, which has become his new position in the aftermath of a multi month injury to star man Mohammed Kudus.

Thomas Frank has been embattled throughout the 2025/26 season, and while the results in the Premier League are only getting worse under the Danish coach, he remains successfully treading water with regards to his job status on the backs of Spurs wins in the Champions League.

Wilson Odobert had another big game

But perhaps the most concrete reason Spurs have for actually keeping Frank is best reflected by Odobert. Because when Frank first took over at Tottenham, there was a lot of optimism in the air, specifically because of all the talent he helped elevate at Brentford.

Ivan Toney, Kevin Schade, Yoane Wissa, Mikel Damsgaard, and, of course, Bryan Mbeumo all became among the best attacking players in the Premier League under the guidance of Thomas Frank, and so Spurs supporters were hopeful that Frank could do the same with the young players at Tottenham.

But while Frank has frustratingly held back Mathys Tel with egregious snubs, Wilson Odobert is a more positive example of what Frank can potentially do in terms of nurturing a player, and Spurs are finally seeing the seeds bear fruit with regards to the French youth international.

Odobert won five successful dribbles in the 2-0 win. He was active throughout the game in terms of taking players on and trying to stretch the pitch to help his team create chances, performing more as a workhorse on the right than he even did as a left winger this season.

Tottenham Hotspur won this game convincingly in part because of Odobert's fine work, which was nearly rewarded with a goal. After his pair of assists the previous Champions League week against Dortmund, Odobert provided a different flavor of attacking excellence, and if there is one thing Frank can actually boast about right now, then it is the way he is helping Odobert shine now.

Pedro Porro has been a standout player for Tottenham Hotspur since he joined the club initially on loan from Sporting CP. From right-back, he has managed 11 goals, with 25 assists in 139 games for the club. This is a lot of matches, considering Porro has only been at the club since 2023.

The Spain international is rarely injured, but it appears Spurs' over-reliance on him is taking its toll. Porro posted on Instagram today, "Time to stop for a few days, I'll be back soon. Good luck tonight, team. Bring back the three points.

This is bad timing for Porro to have to miss a game as Spurs play Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League. Tottenaham need a win to ensure they progress automatically into the round of 16. However, a draw could be enough.

Porro came off at half-time in Spurs' 2-2 draw with Burnley in the Premier League last weekend. He was replaced by Destiny Udogie, who went to left-back with Djed Spence moving across to right-back. It helps that Spence is right-footed, although he is usually used at left-back.

Pedro Porro's situation has led to fan outrage

A lack of a natural replacement for Porro has left Tottenham supporters fuming. One fan posted on Reddit, "Ran into the f****** pavement because they didn’t want to buy a left back to cover Udogie for 2 years. If the senior leadership were players, they would’ve been sacked ages ago. Absolute gross mismanagement."

Much of the blame will always go on Daniel Levy. However, he is no longer the club's chairman.

Spurs were recently linked with bringing in Andy Robertson from Liverpool. That said, the full-back is now set to stay at Anfield.

It is unclear if Spurs will be able to bring in another full-back who is ready for first-team soccer this transfer window. They have signed Souza from Santos, but he is only 19 and considered one for the future.

Tottenham need to strengthen if they are to improve under Thomas Frank. Spurs are as low as 14th in the Premier League, and there is huge pressure on their manager. Success in the Champions League is biding Frank with time.

Despite being successful in Europe, Ange Postecoglou still lost his job with Spurs at the end of last season due to a poor domestic campaign. The same could be the case with Frank, especially with top coaches, including former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, potentially being available after the World Cup.

Tottenham Hotspur are quietly mulling over the immediate future of striker Randal Kolo Muani, whose performances on the pitch over the last several games have been so thoroughly unsatisfactory that it is all but guaranteed Spurs will not even think twice about letting his loan from PSG expire without even attempting to negotiate a permanent transfer.

Although Kolo Muani had some promising moments for Spurs, including against his parent club PSG in the Champions League, the Frenchman has largely been a transfer flop for his new club, with his latest displays being characteristic of an overpaid and mentally checked out forward who simply does not want to be there or fight for his team.

Juventus want Kolo Muani back on loan after Tottenham and Fabio Paratici thwarted their efforts on deadline day, but Spurs are reluctant to lose any more striker depth with all the injuries they have faced this season. Richarlison is now out, per usual, and Dominic Solanke only just returned from a major injury.

Randal Kolo Muani is useless now

But Kolo Muani is so bad that he is worse than useless if he does not even care an ounce about the club. So in an ideal world, Tottenham would get rid of the veteran striker this winter and help PSG acquiesce to Juventus obtaining him again, whlie they would then sign a younger and more dynamic replacement who will fight for the club.

According to a sneaky new report from elite transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, "several" clubs around European football have recently been expressing interest in former Aston Villa star Jhon Duran, who is currently playing for Fenerbahce in the Turkish Super Lig on loan from Saudi Pro League giants Al-Nassr - and yes, that is a mouthful. Apparently, per Fab, Duran is a "potential last minute deal" for these clubs in the January transfer window. The decision rests with Fenerbahce and Duran now.

It always seemed bizarre that Duran, who was scoring absolute bangers as one of the most clinical finishers in the Premier League and a massive breakout star, left Aston Villa and the best league in the world for a paycheck in Saudi - and Villa were all too happy to cash in.

Duran is just 22 years old, but he would immediately be the most talented striker on Tottenham Hotspur and arguably just as good overall as Dominic Solanke if his performances with Aston Villa in the 2024/25 season are anything to go off of.

Now, Duran has not been linked to Tottenham, but if European clubs are after him and if there is any chance Spurs could sign the 23 year old, he is a much better target than Samu Aghehowa, a much better signing than Kolo Muani, and a much better player than the washed up alternatives Spurs could be looking at.

It started as a few annoyed fans and grew into legitimate transfer speculation, but Tottenham Hotspur starting goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario looks like he has truly made doubters out of most of the Spurs fan base and the club's brass itself.

Although Vicario is a perfectly fine shot stopper with the reflexes to make some incredible saves, the Italian international has cost Tottenham quite a few points this season by being genuinely poor at everything else. His postioning, handling, and work on the ball have been horrid, leading to unforced errors that undo the few truly game breaking saves he makes.

Tottenham are already on the verge of letting top backup Antonin Kinsky, one of the most promising young goalkeepers in the Premier League, go on loan to West Ham United, where he could eventually move permanently to become the Hammers new No. 1 in goal.

Robin Roefs is one to watch

If Tottenham were indeed to do that, it makes finding the next goalkeeper to succeed Vicario this summer all the more important. And when it comes to important tasks, Spurs have shown to their fan base that they cannot be trusted fully,

According to a report from talkSPORT insider Alex Crook, Tottenham Hotspur are interested in stealing away Sunderland 23 year old breakout star Robin Roefs in goal. Roefs just joined the Black Cats upon their Premier League promotion and has legitimately been one of the best goalkeepers in European football - a clean sheet machine who has been a huge part of the club's success this season.

But while Roefs would be a younger alternative to Guglielmo Vicario and an exciting upgrade, the other transfer target Tottenham are now linked to is far less exciting. Per a report from BBC Sport's Sami Mokbel, Tottenham are also eyeing Sam Johnstone on loan from Wolves.

Now if we assume Tottenham are a reasonably well run club, then the Johnstone links would not be alarming at all in the context of Spurs likely sending Antonin Kinsky to West Ham. Johnstone would be his loan replacement for Kinsky so that Kinsky could get minutes, but then following that logic, you would also have to assume that Spurs would not be so stupid as to let Kinsky have an option to buy in his loan deal with their local London rivals.

Look, Johnstone is not anywhere near as talented as Kinsky, nor is he the caliber of goalkeeper to replace Vicario. Either way you spin it, Johnstone is not somebody Tottenham should be interested in him and is half the goalkeeper Roefs is while being worse than Vicario, too. Being linked to a loan like Johnstone makes zero sense for Spurs.

Thomas Frank is fighting for his life as Tottenham Hotspur manager. The Danish coach will remain in charge ahead of Wednesday night's Champions League clash with Eintracht Frankfurt, but pressure is mounting.

Victory at Deutsche Bank Park will secure Spurs' place in the round of 16, but their Premier League form is alarming. On Saturday, the Lilywhites required a stoppage-time equaliser from Cristian Romero to salvage a share of the spoils against Burnley at Turf Moor. That means they've won just two of their last 14 outings, currently without a win in five.

Well, with Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle and then Arsenal their February opponents, the eight-point gap between Tottenham and the bottom three is looking precariously narrow. One consistent performer in this otherwise inconsistent team is Micky van de Ven. The Dutchman broke the deadlock in Lancashire at the weekend, edging close to an all-time club record.

The Spurs record Micky van de Ven is seeking to break

So, how many more does he need to become the highest-scoring Tottenham defender in a single season?

Tottenham defenders to score 6+ goals in a single season (1980-present)

Since 1980, only four Tottenham defenders have managed to score eight or more goals in a single campaign. Sol Campbell, who isn't very popular at White Hart Lane these days, is the most-recent man to do so in 1998/99.

Graham Roberts actually did so twice, mustering ten goals in 1983/84, but the record is held by club legend Gary Mabbutt, netting 11 times in '82/83. The centre-back won both the UEFA Cup and FA Cup during 18 years at Spurs, appearing for the club 611 times, second only to Steve Perryman (866) on the club's all-time list.

Well, van de Ven (81 appearances) is along way of Mabbutt in that regard, but could break his single-season goalscoring record for a defender. Having netted seven times already, who is to say he cannot bag five more before the campaign comes to an end. In fact, Saturday's other scorer Romero has now netted six times in this campaign, meaning both centre-backs could be targeting this accolade.